Mets' Francisco Rodriguez arrested after allegedly punching father-in-law, charged with assault  —  Francisco Rodriguez is arrested after allegedly punching his father-in-law Wednesday night.  After the tussle, an unidentified family member is taken from Citi Field (below) in an ambulance.

Pieces come together for Red Sox  —  Fill-ins deliver in big way  —  TORONTO - On July 31, the Red Sox [team stats] stated their case that they were going to sink or swim with the players they had.  —  With the pages on the calendar flipping by, the Sox' hard-scrabble …

Giants Acquire Mike Fontenot  —  San Francisco is 2,100 miles away from Chicago, but Mike Fontenot didn't have to go far at all when the Giants acquired him today.  The Cubs are in San Francisco, so all Fontenot had to do was walk from the visitors clubhouse to the home clubhouse.

No Cameras for Francoeur's Milestone  —  PHILADELPHIA—Is Bob Costas going to bring his gravitas to Citi Field?  Will the MLB Network preempt its regular programming to cover this chase?  —  It was only last week that Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th home run, and already another New York ballplayer is pursuing a milestone.

Torre sticks with Gibbons over Kemp to start  —  Dodgers manager rides hot hand for second straight day  —  PHILADELPHIA — Former Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson will look at Joe Torre's lineup for the first two games against the Phillies and know exactly what center fielder Matt Kemp is going through.

Braden goes the distance to help A's down Mariners  —  The Sports Network  —  Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Dallas Braden threw his fourth complete game of the season — and of his career — while Mark Ellis doubled three times and drove in as many runs in helping the Athletics salvage their three-game series with the Mariners, 5-1.

Gomez ready to begin rehab assignment  —  MILWAUKEE — Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez, sidelined since being beaned on Aug. 2 in Chicago, will begin a Minor League rehabilitation assignment on Friday at Triple-A Nashville.  He expects to return to active duty for the Brewers one week later.

Danks dominant as White Sox down Twins  —  The Sports Network  —  Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - John Danks stifled Minnesota over eight frames and Carlos Quentin highlighted Chicago's offense with a two-run homer, as the White Sox upended the Twins, 6-1, in a key American League Central matchup.

Infante's double, McCann's slam lifts Braves over Astros in 10  —  HOUSTON (AP) — After getting blown out in the first game and needing late rallies to win the other two, Braves manager Bobby Cox was pleased to escape Houston with a series victory.  —  Omar Infante (FSY) …

Yankees, Segedin Agree On $377,500  —  The Yankees and third-round pick Rob Segedin have agreed to terms on a $377,500 bonus.  Segedin, a Tulane third baseman who had extra leverage as a draft-eligible sophomore, exceeded MLB's guideline of $270,000 for the No. 112 slot.

Bergesen pitches 2-hitter, Orioles beat Indians  —  CLEVELAND—Brad Bergesen pitched a two-hitter for his first win in nearly three months and the surging Baltimore Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians 3-1 Wednesday night.  —  The Orioles won their fourth in a row and moved to 8-1 under new manager Buck Showalter.

Baseball's Praised Diversity Is Stranded at First Base  —  About 40 percent of the players in Major League Baseball are black, Hispanic or Asian, and the sport is seen as a leading example of diversity, yet a curious disparity has emerged in a corner of the game.

Texas Rangers to skip Rich Harden's turn in rotation … ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington announced that right-hander Rich Harden will start Tuesday in Tampa Bay, meaning lefty C.J. Wilson will pitch Sunday against the Boston Red Sox.

The problems with defensive stats … Let's suppose that you're a normal baseball fan with normal interests and an understanding that smart writers and operators think fancy defensive statistics are important.  —  Curious, you visit Fangraphs.com and see that Carl Crawford, Tony Gwynn Jr. …

The Brewers' 2011 Rotation  —  The Brewers made the 2008 playoffs thanks, in large part, to a rotation led by C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets.  Yovani Gallardo has since established himself as a frontline starter, but the Brewers have struggled to surround him with equally capable arms.